The electric cable of sealed electric connectors is normally sealed by means of a sealing element having a through opening through which the cable is fitted. The sealing element may be a straightforward rubber ring for a single cable, as described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,639, or a multiple seal with a number of holes for respective cables, as described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,227. As the efficiency of the sealing element depends on its exerting a certain amount of pressure on the cable, the section of the opening must be smaller than the cross section of the cable to produce a certain amount of radial forcing when the cable is assembled.
Known sealing elements of the above type present several drawbacks.
One way of assembling the connector is to insert the cable through the sealing element before crimping the terminal on to the cable, which solution, however, involves a fairly complex, time-consuming assembly sequence. Alternatively, the sealing element may be assembled beforehand inside the casing, in which case the electric terminal, already crimped to the cable, must be fitted through the opening in the seal when the terminal is inserted inside the casing. On account of the small section of the opening in the seal, such a solution may result in severe distortion of the seal, and in tearing or cutting of the edge of the opening, thus impairing sealing efficiency in actual use. What is more, subsequent removal and reassembly may result in further damage, to the extent that the seal must eventually be replaced, with all the disadvantages this entails in terms of time and money.